A conditional threshold hypothesis for creative achievement: On the interaction between intelligence and openness.

Abstract

Theoretical perspectives on creativity have suggested that intelligence is necessary but not sufficient for creative behavior. Known as the threshold hypothesis, this idea has generated both controversy and confusion since Guilford (1967) suggested that creativity and intelligence would be correlated more strongly among those low in intelligence relative to those high in intelligence. In this article, we instead argue for a conditional threshold hypothesis such that the relationship between intelligence and creative achievement is moderated by other critical characteristics. Further, we propose that the relationship is in fact stronger among individuals who possess high levels of qualifying characteristics. We then argue that openness to experience represents one such critical characteristic. For those with high openness, we propose that high levels of intelligence will be the differentiating factor between those who exhibit high and extremely high creative achievement. Additionally, we argue that for domain specificity, it is necessary to differentiate between the openness aspects of aesthetic openness and intellect for explaining creative achievement in the arts and sciences, respectively. Participants living in the United States (N = 1,276; Mage = 34.56 years; 67% female, 82% White; 91% at least some college; 88% employed) completed the Creative Achievement Questionnaire (CAQ) as well as fluid intelligence and personality measures. Results of Poisson analyses regressing CAQ scores onto personality and intelligence measures scored with item response theory lend full support to these hypotheses. Implications of our conditional threshold hypothesis are discussed.

The Relationship between Intelligence and Divergent Thinking—A Meta-Analytic Update

“…Relatedly, other complex interactive effects could be investigated. For example, Harris et al ( 2019 ) proposed that the relationship between creative achievement and intelligence would be moderated by openness to experience. Hence, openness could also be considered as a moderator of the correlation between DT and intelligence.…”

A Reappraisal of the Threshold Hypothesis of Creativity and Intelligence

“…Thresholds suggest a qualitative difference of humans below and above the value that is implausible with respect to creativity and intelligence in specific but also, more generally, for psychological dispositions. Even more nuanced approaches—such as the conditional threshold theory ( Harris et al 2019 ), that supposes that openness plays a critical role in the intelligence-creativity threshold—are adding further complexity and researcher’s degrees of freedom. There are additional shortcomings of the prevalent data analytical strategy, such as violated model assumptions (e.g., normally distributed and homoscedastic residuals; Gelman and Hill 2006 ).…”

How Is Intelligence Test Performance Associated with Creative Achievement? A Meta-Analysis

“…Regarding its links with intelligence, the results obtained to-date are quite heterogeneous. While some studies observed nearzero links (Kaufman et al 2014), others reported small-to-moderate correlations of r = .14 (Carson et al 2005;Harris et al 2019) and r = .23 (Kéri 2011) to quite robust associations of β = .29 (Beaty et al 2014) and r = .34 (Mar et al 2006). A recent longitudinal study (Karwowski et al 2017) that predicted CAQ scores in middle age (52 years old) by intelligence measured at age 11 and 13 showed negligible correlations with Raven matrices (r = .05, p = .047, N = 1594) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (r = .09, p = .077, N = 255).…”